POP ETC Catch a ‘Bad Break’ on Action-Packed New Single

The song is the latest imaginary soundtrack from the synth-rock revivalists

After making a resounding comeback with the shimmering synth-rock blast “Running in Circles,” California-via-Brooklyn trio POP ETC (formerly known as the Morning Benders) have gone further down the mid-’80s rabbit hole with follow-up “Bad Break.” The crunching, preternaturally catchy single streamlines guitar, keys, bass and drums into a sonic punch of ambiguous action, frontman Chris Chu lamenting “I caught a bad break / And I can’t live it down / And everybody follows in a stubborn old town.” Like a less-grating Cobra Starship, POP ETC excel at creating new-wave high drama out of nothing, the perfect soundtrack to a montage of your choosing.